Surge in kidnappings of Egypt’s Christians

Abductions of Christians near Minya, a city in central Egypt, have surged in the months following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi, The Christian Science Monitor reported.

Nearly 100 area Christians have been kidnapped since the Arab Spring began, with a spike occurring in recent months. Egypt’s Christians have tended to support the ouster of Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader – leading to attacks on dozens of churches and Christian institutions by Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

“Even though some Muslims would say that the Church shouldn’t have a role in politics and shouldn’t interfere in such matters because it’s not our role, the truth is that the state hasn’t carried out its role, and the Church members are being harmed, and they’re pushing the Church to take action,” said Coptic Orthodox Bishop Makarios of Minya, who recently survived an assassination attempt.

“In the last three years, police efforts were negligible,” Bishop Makarios added. “And this actually encouraged amateurs to start their own kidnap ventures.”

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